A real-life "Slumdog Millionaire"

I was looking around on the Yahoo homepage today when I found this:

Real-Life 'Slumdog Millionaire' First to Win Big | ABC News Blogs - Yahoo!

Sushil Kumar, a 26-years-old man living in poverty in India, has become the first person to win the top prize of 5 crores, or 50 million rupees, equivalent to just over US$1 Million, on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, in an apparent real-life Slumdog Millionaire-style rags-to-riches tale. Before his big win, he made the equivalent of only $120 a month! He credits his win to his desire for knowledge, which he obtained through tutoring others to sharpen his own mind. Unlike the character in the film, as well as real-life actual British cheater Charles Ingram (who was convicted of cheating), there are no allegations of cheating in this rags-to-riches story.

The format that Sushil Kumar played under also differs from the original format that was used in the film. His format consisted of 13 questions, with the final question worth 50 million rupees, as opposed to the original 15-question format with a top prize of 20 million rupees. In addition, his lifelines were also different; they consisted of Ask the Audience, Phone a Friend, Ask an Expert, and Double Dip, as opposed to the original set of lifelines, which consisted of the 50/50, Phone a Friend, Ask the Audience, and Switch the Question. The Double Dip replaces the 50/50, but has a different effect; rather than eliminating two incorrect answers, the Double Dip lifeline allows the contestant to give two answers to the question, but this comes at a price; once the contestant confirms that he/she wants to use the Double Dip, the contestant MUST answer the question, and CANNOT walk away or use any further lifelines, and if neither answer is correct, the game is over, and the contestant's winnings will drop. Furthermore, the first 8 questions have a 45-second time limit; using a lifeline stops the clock, but if the contestant allows the clock to run out, he/she will be forced to walk away.